Dear Family and loved ones:
My cards and letter are somewhat delayed this year even though I addressed all the cards before Thanksgiving while I was in California baby-sitting. The reason for my babysitting is one of the big events of the year for my family…more about that later.
But first, I must go back to a week or so after I wrote my last Christmas letter. I mentioned my 80th birthday. Well…I had said for years I didn’t want a big ’wing-ding’ for my 80th, and since none of my children were here, I thought I was ’home free.’ No such luck. They all arrived in Provo secretly. I was told outlandish things, all of which I ’bit’ on and waltzed over to my ward house expecting to see my triplets in a Christmas program. At the door I spied my daughter, Marilyn and then my Son, Joan and Linda and the entire family. There was a dinner, program by all the family and the whole ‘schmear.’ If you didn’t get an invitation it is because the address was wrong and it was returned. I was completely taken by surprise, but after the initial shock, enjoyed it anyway.
The first few months of 1990 were rather unspectacular for me. Just the usual busy time of meetings, luncheons and trying to get more done on my voluminous history.
But in early summer, my Linda’s two oldest sons sent me a plane ticket to go to Iowa where the oldest one and his family live. The other son and my daughter Linda came while I was there and we had a wonderful visit with all of them, and especially my two darling great-grandsons. The next event of importance was an invitation to go to Lake Powell, where I had never been before. My daughter, Marilyn and her husband had arranged for a houseboat for all their family and invited my sister Donna and I to go along. What fun!
We swam, we ate, swam some more and ate. Took sightseeing trips on a motor boat which we hauled behind. I even rode on a ‘water wienie’ and if you don’t know what that is, it’s a huge weenie shaped rubber monster with handles on the side to hold onto and holds four or five people. What fun!
The rest of the summer was a flurry of family here and raising my garden and flowers.
Then came the exciting news. Steve and Cheryl were working on the endless paperwork for our government to get ready to go to Romania to adopt two Romanian boy babies. I left for California on a Sunday evening and the two of them finally got 15 boxes of clothes for the orphanages and the paperwork done and we took them to the airport.
The Luftansa Airline took all the boxes to the babies free. Steve stayed there for 10 days and then had to return to his business, but Cheryl and three of her sisters had been there for weeks. In fact, one sister, a brother and his wife are still there. All the exciting, sad, wonderful things that happened would fill a book which neither you nor I have time for, but it has been an exciting experience for our family. I stayed with their girls until Steve returned.
Word finally came through yesterday, and that is why this is late because I wanted to be sure they had the babies, that Cheryl now has the baby boys, who are now Worsleys. One is a newborn and the other six months old. Steve is flying over to help her home and they plan to be at LAX next Tuesday. As I have watched several programs on TV and heard first hand from Steve about the condition there, I think how lucky our two new family members are to come to Steve and Cheryl’s beautiful home and to the love their 6 daughters and all of us will shower on them. It is heart-warming. At the same time, Steve and Cheryl’s second daughter, Michelle Rich is expecting their first grandchild any minute. So, we will have a family of new babies soon.
A quick resume of the rest of my family. Linda is now living with her son, Steve in Connecticut and working in New York for Macmillan Publishers as editor of their music tape department. Her Michelle and Sean are in Citrus College in California and Ian is working in North Carolina.
Joan and Dick are still in the continuing saga of remodeling their home, but much of it is looking good. Joan is teaching exceptional children at a grade school. Marilyn and Chris have just finished having a swimming pool put in their back yard. I may have to break down and buy a swim suit. Chris’ pellet stoves are selling well from coast to coast, and all their children are doing well. Marilyn is still office manager for Steve’s huge catering business, but on the side is still doing professional musicals in Southern California. She played Golde in Fiddler on the Roof for over three months early in 1990 and after that goes into rehearsal for another musical.
I have already given you the big news from Steve and Cheryl and while my life continues to have much excitement and outstanding events in it, the time has come to quit this epistle.
You year has been blessed thrice over in so many ways, and I hope it has been the same for you and yours. I’m thankful for this Season when we stop our hectic, busy lives for solemn moments of contemplation of our Savior and how we are blessed each day. May each of you have a wonderful Holiday Season. Love always, Klea